The Music Box
by Psuedonanymous
Summary: When he was young, Artemis Fowl II never believed in the supernatural and the paranormal. To him everything has a logical or a scientific explanation even the most bizarre occurrences. But nevertheless, among the stories his father told him, the story of little Eleanor Fowl had a lasting impact on him with an experience to match. (Because it is Halloween!)


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**A/N:**

**As it is Halloween and everybody is out doing the stuffs they do on Hallows Eve, I decided to tell you an eerie story that was born in my mind after listening to a music box instrumental. So yeah, this came out in a rush so pardon the grammar errors and stuff. I was just excited.**

**It just had me wondering how little Artemis was not afraid of staying in a huge Manor with just his family and the Butlers. If I was that I probably would have ended up being paranoid or something. Hahaha.**

**Well, anyway I hope you enjoy this story.**

**P.S. - To make this more realistic listen to a music box themed instrumental. Trust me it works. XD (Suggestion: Once Upon a December Music Box Version)**

**-juniperfalcon17**

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When he was a young boy, a few months before he turned five, Artemis Fowl II remembered asking his father once when was the family Manor built.

Due to the raging storm that time, the Fowl patriarch's current rendezvous was cancelled until the weather cleared. This was the reason why he was at the Manor in the first place and not somewhere around the globe discussing 'business transactions'. Artemis II wasn't aware yet that most of his father's negotiations were illegal but nevertheless, even if he knew, that would not change the way he looked at him as his role model.

Having a lot of time on his hands due to the current weather condition, Artemis I took it upon himself to give his son a lesson about the family history. It started from the first very notable ancestor of theirs up to the last, telling him the many stories about the Manor - about how it witnessed the birth of its heirs and the death of its ancestors. Artemis II was fascinated by how such structure holds so many stories of all genres that connects to his very existence.

He tried to picture the majestic structure being the place where every Fowl heir was molded into the notable individuals they turned into, all specializing in their own fields of interest. He imagined the scene of the many grand balls and events that took place inside the place he was born into, the place that beheld so many emotions. However, not all the happenings inside the Manor were pleasant ones since there are a few tragic stories as well. One particular story his father told him stood above the rest.

It was the story of Eleanor Fowl.

Eleanor Fowl was his ancestor from the 1400s or so, the youngest among three siblings with curly blonde hair and emerald green eyes; something that she adopted from her mother. According to Artemis I, she was a lover of music, at an early age she can already play three different kinds of instrument with such talent and passion that only individuals thrice her age possesses. She made her grand debut at the age of seven and became a renowned musician around the globe, often invited to concerts audience by the rich, influential and the powerful. It wasn't long before suitors near and far tried to woo the young lass' hand in marriage. She was just fourteen back then but her beauty and talent gave her the same charm as any noble women.

Being a lover of music, most of the gifts the lass received were connected with it; from music themed jewelry to magnificent grand pianos. Her most favorite, however, was a small music box given to her by the son of a blacksmith. She cherished that object more than anything else. It was her lullaby, the one tune that acted as her anchor in her frenetic life, reminding her of the freedom she wished to claim; freedom where she could just be herself and not the young heir of noble family.

She thought that all was going well - that her busy life was gradually coming into a considerable pace where she could just spend it on her own liking - but she was wrong. Oh so terribly wrong. There was a great conflict and the nobles were in a dire situation. Many were murdered and accused wrongly and the Fowl family was no exception. In order to protect his children, the patriarch ordered that they should be sent overseas until it was safe to return.

However, that plan was not put into action because that very night before they were to leave, a servant of the house betrayed them. In the chaos, the west wing of the Fowl manor was set on fire. Long story short, everyone got out save for the little girl who was trapped inside one of the numerous rooms of the manor. Rescuers claimed to have heard the sweet melody of a music box as they searched for the girl but sadly the smoke was too thick for them to continue searching. After the fire, they found the charred remains of Eleanor Fowl, burned beyond recognition, clutching a molten piece of metal the majority claim as her favorite music box.

Many years later, the conflict ended and everyone returned to their lives before. Too many tragedies followed that incident after that dreadful night that claimed the life of an innocent noble girl; several of them are much more gruesome that only a selected few are able to remember about the tragic story of Eleanor Fowl. The Manor was reconstructed and the rest is history.

At first, he thought his father was just pulling his leg until he saw the portrait of the said girl hanging with the rest of the portrait of their previous ancestors in the hallway leading to the ballroom. Whoever it was that renovated the Manor, they apparently thought it was a good idea to recreate the destroyed portraits as well.

When he was young, Artemis Fowl II never believed in the supernatural and the paranormal. To him everything has a logical or a scientific explanation even the most bizarre occurrences. But nevertheless, among the stories his father told him, the story of little Eleanor Fowl had a lasting impact on him with an experience to match.

One afternoon, when he was eight years old, he came home from boarding school for the weekends to find the house empty. His father was out of the country, presumably doing 'business' again and he was informed that his mother flew to London to have 'tea' with a friend of hers. So basically it was just him, Butler and Juliet - not that there was anything new to that kind of set-up. In fact, he would be even more surprised if he found both of his parents at home doing nothing.

After consuming a few hours in reading one of his books, Artemis felt the sudden urge to eat. He was determined to ignore the feeling for a while but his rumbling stomach made it hard to resist. And so he went to the kitchen to find Butler preparing the ingredients for dinner. Once he finished eating a sandwich the manservant had made, he immediately made a beeline back to his room to finish the book he is reading.

However, he just reached the top of the staircase when a faint tinkling sound reaching his ears. Curious as to where it was coming from, the young Fowl followed the sound but even with his perfect pitch he had trouble pinpointing the exact direction the sound was coming from.

Trusting his ears, he followed the sound; listening intently at that hauntingly melodious tune. His feet brought him to the right side of the manor where most of the guest rooms were located. He rarely goes there because he never had a really good purpose to be there not unless his parents thought it would be nice if he went there and called their guest out to say that it was dinner time or something like that. The more he walked deeper into the corridor, the louder the tune sounded.

There was one time he was so sure that it was coming from a certain door but once he opened it, the tune would sound farther away. After he almost opened all the doors save for one, the tune stopped and Artemis finally recalled that fateful story that sends him running down the hallways towards Butler.

It was childish true, but he could never forget that unexplainable chill he felt.

That incident was not the last, however. There were times during those days when his mother was ill because of his father when he would hear that haunting tune again but this time had a lot on his mind to actually pay close attention to it. Juliet once became victim of the said music box hunt and she never returned to that part of the Manor again without Butler with accompanying her.

Holly Short did experience the same thing the night she stayed there before they went to retrieve the cube from Spiro's clutches. She claimed to have heard a tune coming from somewhere within the west wing of the Manor but given the fact that they were about to fly off to put their plan into action, the female elf didn't have the chance to find out where the sound really was coming from.

He never heard any stories about it from his parents but he knew he had experiences of their own; one they never shared to their children.

Artemis Fowl II learned to ignore the tune but there were instances where he just can't seem to shut out that eerie melody that he had to resort to plugging earphones in his ears to muffle out the sound until he falls asleep or as he continued his task.

It wasn't long after he was released from his treatment because of his Atlantis Complex when his twin brothers became the next victims of that music box hunt. They were having dinner when the two boys told them the story of how they followed that tune, doing the thing Artemis did when he was young, except that they actually opened the door.

He was perfectly sure he heard that tune loud and clear to the point that it stayed in his mind for a long time. There was no mistaking it that it was coming from that very last room, the same room that twins were describing. What Artemis heard next made the hairs at the back of his neck stand up as he felt like someone dropped a bucket of cold water in his body accompanied by that falling sensation in his gut. According to the twins, when they opened that last door all they saw was a brick wall.

**-o-o-o-0-o-o-o-**

**Tada! Hope I didn't spook yah!**

**Anyway, tell me what you think. This is my first time writing this type of story and to be honest I was feeling a little creeped out when I was writing this. **

**Also, a note. To those who are reading the PLEASE REMEMBER fanfic, I will be updating either on Monday or on Tuesday. For the Third Generation, I still don't know when, I had trouble with the next scene. But I will not abandon it. Count on it. That is all. Thank you. :)**


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